Hypoglossal Nerve

BACKGROUND: Intracranial schwannomas most commonly arise from vestibulo-cochlear nerve and less frequently from trigeminal, facial and hypoglossal nerves. However, intracranial schwannomas unrelated to cranial nerves (ISUNs) are very rare and only ∼ 50 such cases have been reported in literature. Amongst these, tentorial schwannomas are even rarer and only 13 cases have been reported till date. We present one such rare case of giant tentorial schwannoma (TS). CASE DESCRIPTION: A 21 year old male patient presented to us with complaints of generalised headache and dizziness for past 6 months and worsening of symptoms for past 2 months...

The tongue can move freely and is important in oral motor functions. Tongue movement must be coordinated with movement of the hyoid, mandible, and pharyngeal wall, to which it is attached. Our previous study using isolated brainstem-spinal cord preparations showed that application of N-methyl-D-aspartate induces rhythmic activity in the hypoglossal nerve that is coincident with rhythmic activity in the ipsilateral trigeminal motor nerve. Partial or complete midline transection of the preparation only abolishes activity in the trigeminal motor nerve; therefore, the neuronal network contributing to coordinated activity of the jaw/tongue muscles is located on both sides of the preparation and sends motor commands to contralateral trigeminal motoneurons...

C2 spinal hemilesion (C2Hx) paralyzes the ipsilateral diaphragm, but recovery is possible through activation of "crossed spinal" synaptic inputs to ipsilateral phrenic motoneurons. We tested the hypothesis that high frequency epidural stimulation (HF-ES) would potentiate ipsilateral phrenic output after subacute and chronic C2Hx. HF-ES (300 Hz) was applied to the ventrolateral C4 or T2 spinal cord ipsilateral to C2Hx in anesthetized and mechanically ventilated adult rats. Stimulus duration was 60-sec and currents ranged from 100-1000 µA...

We present the case of a 54-year-old lady with a right 12(th) nerve neurinoma with ipsilateral hemiatrophy of the tongue and spontaneous regression after 1 year of follow-up. The management choices range from surgery, as the gold standard, to radiosurgery or a combination of both. Our case highlights the importance of considering careful observation and diligent follow-up as a modality of treatment as these lesions can show spontaneous regression with no invasive approaches.

This teaching case of tongue myokymia offers clear electromyographic findings of myokymic discharges on two different sweeps. Radiation-induced tongue myokymia should be considered in the differential diagnosis for motor neuron disease (MND).

BACKGROUND: Neurovascular-compression syndrome (NCS) is described as a prominent pathological contact between cranial nerves and vessels. Trigeminal neuralgia, hemifacial spasm, and glossopharyngeal neuralgia are typical clinical entities associated with NCS. On the other hand, the hyoglossal nerve is rarely affected by NCS. CASE DESCRIPTION: We present a case of hypoglossal nerve palsy (HNP) secondary to vertebral artery (VA) compression. A 47-year-old man presented to our hospital with a 1-month history of dysarthria and dysphagia...

OBJECTIVE The endoscopic endonasal approach for treating primary skull base malignancies involving the clivus is a formidable task. The authors hypothesized that tumor involvement of nearby critical anatomical structures creates hurdles to endoscopic gross-total resection (GTR). The aim of this study was to retrospectively review the clinical outcomes of patients who underwent an endoscopic endonasal approach to treat primary malignancies involving the clivus and to analyze prognostic factors for GTR. METHODS Between January 2009 and November 2015, 42 patients underwent the endoscopic endonasal approach for resection of primary skull base malignancies involving the clivus at 2 independent institutions...

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: To review recent literature pertaining to the use of masseteric-facial nerve neurorrhaphy (MFNN) for facial reanimation in patients with facial paralysis. RECENT FINDINGS: First, MFNN effectively restores some midface tone and function, including the ability to smile. Second, use of the masseteric nerve minimizes synkinesis, dysarthria, and dysphagia that frequently occur after hypoglossal-facial nerve neurorrhaphy. Third, concurrent cable grafting to the zygomatic branch from an intact proximal facial nerve remnant - when available - can restore dynamic eye closure...

OBJECTIVE/HYPOTHESIS: Upper airway stimulation (UAS) of the hypoglossal nerve has been implemented in the routine clinical practice for patients with moderate-to-severe obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) who could not adhere to continuous positive airway pressure. This study reports objective and patient-reported outcome after 12 months of implantation. STUDY DESIGN: Multicenter prospective single-arm study. METHODS: Consecutive patients who received the UAS system (Inspire Medical Systems, Inc...

Cranial nerve palsy could be one of the presenting features of underlying benign or malignant tumors of the head and neck. The tumor can involve the cranial nerves by local compression, direct infiltration or by paraneoplastic process. Cranial nerve involvement depends on the anatomical course of the cranial nerve and the site of the tumor. Patients may present with single or multiple cranial nerve palsies. Multiple cranial nerve involvement could be sequential or discrete, unilateral or bilateral, painless or painful...

Our knowledge of the avian sensory trigeminal system has been largely restricted to the principal trigeminal nucleus (PrV) and its ascending projections to the forebrain. Studies addressing the cytoarchitecture and organization of afferent input to the sensory trigeminal complex, which includes both the PrV and the nuclei of the descending trigeminal tract (nTTD), have only been performed in pigeons and ducks. Here we extend such an analysis to a songbird, the zebra finch (Taeniopygia guttata). We describe the cytoarchitecture of the sensory trigeminal complex, the patterns of calbindin-like and substance P-like immunoreactivity, and the organization of afferents from the three branches of the trigeminal nerve and from the lingual branch of the hypoglossal nerve...

No abstract text is available yet for this article.

OBJECTIVE: This study examined the relationship between two new variables, tumor distance to base of skull (DTBOS) and tumor volume, with complications of carotid body tumor (CBT) resection, including bleeding and cranial nerve injury. METHODS: Patients who underwent CBT resection between 2004 and 2014 were studied using a standardized, multi-institutional database. Demographic, perioperative, and outcomes data were collected. CBT measurements were determined from computed tomography, magnetic resonance imaging, and ultrasound examination...

AIMS: Parkinson's disease (PD) patients apart from motor dysfunctions exhibit respiratory disturbances. Their mechanism is still unknown and requires investigation. Our research was designed to examine the activity of phrenic (PHR) and hypoglossal (HG) nerves activity during a hypoxic respiratory response in the 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA) model of PD. MAIN METHODS: Male adult Wistar rats were injected unilaterally with 6-OHDA (20μg) or the vehicle into the right medial forebrain bundle (MFB)...

Microglia are essential in developmental processes and maintenance of neuronal homeostasis. Experimental axotomy of motor neurons results in neurodegeneration, and microglia in motor nuclei become activated and migrate towards injured neurons. However, whether these activated microglia are protective or destructive to neurons remains controversial. In the present study, we transected the hypoglossal nerve in BALB/c mice, causing activating transcription factor 3 (ATF3) and growth associated protein 43 (GAP43) induction, and partial neuronal death...

INTRODUCTION: Hypoglossal Canal (HC) is a paired bony passage which is situated above the Occipital Condyle (OC) and transmits hypoglossal nerve and blood vessels. Studies on the osteotic variations of HC has been a field of considerable interest to research workers especially because of its clinical, radiological and surgical significance. AIM: The aim of the present study was to analyze the morphological and morphometric features of HC and its topographical relationship with OC...

Craniocervical artery dissection is a potentially disabling condition caused by an intimal tear allowing blood to enter and dissect the media in the cranial direction which can occur spontaneously or as a result of trauma. When the dissection extends toward the adventitia, it can form a protrusion from the weakened vessel wall called a pseudoaneurysm, which may become a nidus for distal thromboembolism or cause mass effect on adjacent structures. Accurate and prompt diagnosis is critical as timely treatment can significantly reduce the risk of complications such as stroke...

BACKGROUND: Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is a common cancer in eastern Asia. Chemoradiotherapy is the main treatment modality for NPC. Dysphagia and aspiration is not uncommon in post-irradiated NPC patients. The purpose of this study was to investigate the risk factors for recurrent pneumonia and the prognosis. METHODS: A retrospective chart review was conducted from January 2004 to December 2014. NPC patients who had been hospitalized for pneumonia in the study hospital were enrolled...

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this case study is to demonstrate that post-operative complication rates of sublingual gland excision for treatment of ranulas are equal to or less than alternative methods with a lower recurrence rate than other surgical methods. METHODS: This was a retrospective review of pediatric patients from 2004 to 2015 at Children's Hospitals and Clinics of Minnesota. Sixteen ranulas and 6 plunging ranulas were treated via sublingual gland excision during this time frame...

P4 medicine is an evolving approach to personalized medicine. The four Ps offer a means to: Predict who will develop disease and co-morbidities; Prevent rather than react to disease; Personalize diagnosis and treatment; have patients Participate in their own care. P4 medicine is very applicable to obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) because each OSA patient has a different pathway to disease and its consequences. OSA has both structural and physiological mechanisms with different clinical subgroups, different molecular profiles and different consequences...